Danny Schayes

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Danny Schayes: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

The son of Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes carried a famous name lightly. Danny starred at Syracuse as an Academic All-American with a Carrier Dome record 23 rebounds in a game, and the Utah Jazz made him the 13th pick of the 1981 draft. Two seasons in Utah opened an 18-year, 1,138-game NBA career whose best stretch came in Denver, where he averaged 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in 1987-88.

He won Maccabiah Games gold for the US as a player in 1977 and 1981 and coached the U.S. Masters 35-and-over team to another in 2013. Married to Olympic diver Wendy Lucero-Schayes, he settled in Phoenix and co-hosts a sports talk show on ESPN Radio Syracuse.

HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him 13th overall in 1981 with the pick it had got from Houston for Slick Watts. In February 1983, with the front office living payroll to payroll, the Jazz traded him to Denver for veteran centre Rich Kelley and the cash that came with him.

Full name

Daniel Leslie Schayes

Utah Jazz tenure

1981–83

Position

Center

Born

1959, Syracuse, New York

Height

6′11″ (211 cm)

Weight

236 lb (107 kg)

College

Syracuse

Drafted

1981, 1st round (No. 13), Utah